Wonders of the World
164 episodes - English - Latest episode: 20 days ago - ★★★★★ - 300 ratingsIn this podcast, we'll visit 200 Wonders of the World, from the Pyramids to the Great Barrier Reef, to tell the story of our people, our civilization, and our planet. My name is Caroline Vahrenkamp, and I'm a travel junkie. The world is filled with amazing places that reflect the greatest achievements of human accomplishment. In these uncertain times, understanding our great shared history may help to bridge the divides between us. And if not, it will be a fun ride anyway! We'll discuss the history of each place and the story of the men and women who lived there. We'll cover travel notes, examine what else to see while you're in the area, and dig into the local cuisine. Expect a new episode every two weeks. And thanks for listening!
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Episodes
Bonus - Lake Ohrid
December 25, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 76.7 MBIt's our bonus holiday episode! Nestled in the mountains along the border of North Macedonia and Albania sits Lake Ohrid, a deep, blue lake as old as time. On its shores, in the town of Ohrid, Samuel, tsar of the First Bulgarian Empire, directed his kingdom's last hurrah against the mighty Roman Empire to his east. His opponent: Basil II, known now as the "Bulgar-Slayer." I guess you can figure out how this goes. Eric Halsey of the Bulgarian History Podcast gives his thoughts on Samuel ...
3rd Anniversary Bonus - Fifty States Ranked
November 11, 2019 21:25 - 50 minutes - 58.3 MBTHIRD ANNIVERSARY BONUS EPISODE! People often ask me where they should go when they visit the US. Having been to all 50 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico, which should be states), I can actually answer this. And in this not-at-all-serious episode, I try to answer that question. Being a nerd, I created a spreadsheet and complex formula tanking each state in terms of natural scenery, historical sites, charm, cuisine, and debauchery. I share the top ten on this episode. For the full list, ch...
061 - The Volcanic and Geothermal Features of Iceland
October 10, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 81.9 MBEurope and North America are drifting apart, and where the plates diverge, an underwater volcanic mountain range has formed. It peeps above the ocean in several spots, the largest and most magnificent of which is Iceland. Iceland's underground magma and mountaintop glaciers have conspired to create a wonderland of fire and ice, the perfect setting for the development of a remarkable medieval culture. In this episode, Noah Tetzner from the History of Vikings podcast joins us to discuss th...
060 - The Fjords of Norway
September 19, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 80 MBCarved by glaciers during the Ice Age, Norway's more than 1100 fjords are spectacular. The sea enters narrow valleys with high cliffs laced with waterfalls. This rugged seacoast nurtured ancient Norway and its ruthless seafaring raiders: the Vikings. The Vikings came out of the north like a thunderbolt to ravage the coastlines of Europe, but the people of medieval Scandinavia were so much more than just Vikings. In this episode, Lee Accomando of the Viking Age Podcast talks about Harald...
059 - The Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichén Itzá
August 29, 2019 04:00 - 55 minutes - 64 MBYou've seen the Pyramid on countless tourism brochures, but what do you really know about the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá and it's magnificent pyramid? Did you know it's built over a cenote, a natural water-filled sinkhole? Have you heard the legend of the Toltec king from Central Mexico who might have conquered the city in 987? To help explore the answers, Robert Bitto from the Mexico Unexplained podcast appears with his take on the mysteries of the pyramid. We also talk about the Spanish ...
058a - The House of Wisdom
August 15, 2019 04:00 - 59 minutes - 68.6 MBSometimes a wonder which no longer exists is worth an episode. In the 9th century, the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad created the Bayt al-Hikma, the House of Wisdom, a great library which served as the starting point for a remarkable intellectual program. There, hundreds of scribes translated as many Greek, Persian, Indian and other documents that they could, and these widespread translations fueled new advances that would make Baghdad the Silicon Valley of the 9th and 10th centuries. Men like ...
058 - The Medina of Fes
July 18, 2019 04:00 - 46 minutes - 63.3 MBNestled in the hills of north central Morocco, Fès' ancient walled medina is a labyrinth of narrow alleys, passages, lanes and souks: the world's largest car-free urban space. Founded by Idris, an Arab refugee-turned-Moroccan king, Fès also claims the world's oldest university, built by Fatima al-Fihri, herself a refugee from Tunisia. There's no specific wonder here other than the medina, and that's OK. Sometimes a city or neighborhood is exemplary enough to be a wonder in and of itself. ...
057 - Aachen Cathedral
July 04, 2019 04:00 - 52 minutes - 71.5 MBOn the western fringe of Germany, near the Dutch and Belgian borders, sits Aachen, favored city of Charles the Great, or Charlemagne. He was King of the Franks in the late 8th and early 9th centuries, and through conquest and economic success, he unified much of Western Europe. Crowned Emperor of the Romans on Christmas Day, 800, he could be considered the father of Europe. Or he might just have been incredibly lucky. Travis Dow from the History of Germany Podcast joins us to discuss Cha...
056 - The Underground Cities and Rock Formations of Cappadocia
June 06, 2019 04:00 - 57 minutes - 79.1 MBIn the soft volcanic rock of Cappadocia, eroded by wind and water into fantastic shapes, ancient peoples carved dwelling places. By the Byzantine era, locals created vast underground refuges: places to hide from raiders and foreign armies. They painted murals on rock-cut churches, exemplars of medieval Roman religious art. In the 8th century, this art, both here and around the empire, became the centerpiece of a spirited controversy: iconoclasm. Some, particularly the emperors Leo III a...
055 - The Mezquita of Córdoba
May 16, 2019 04:00 - 53 minutes - 73.9 MBThe eighth century's greatest adventure story. Abd al-Rahman, low-ranking Umayyad prince, finds himself the only male member of his family to survive a massacre at the hands of the Abbasid rebels. He escapes through many adventures to the Maghreb (present-day Morocco) where he decides to try his luck in Spain, or as it was called then: Al-Andalus. More adventures await him there before he eventually becomes the Emir of Córdoba, establishing what would become Medieval Europe's richest and ...
Bonus - Notre-Dame de Paris
May 02, 2019 04:00 - 30 minutes - 41.4 MBOn April 15, 2019, a fire started in Notre-Dame de Paris and caused significant damage. In its honor, here is a bonus episode on the great cathedral. We know that Notre Dame will survive this calamity, because it has survived other calamities before. From Baroque refacing to revolutionary desecrations, Notre Dame had become an absolute wreck. Then Victor Hugo's novel started a restoration movement which led to the appointment of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, whose detailed work created the chur...
054 - The Giant's Causeway
April 25, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 112 MBOn the coast of Northern Ireland lies a remarkable feature: a field of more than 40,000 interlocking hexagonal columns, leading down into the sea. To the ancient Irish, the basalt columns -- the result of a long ago volcanic eruption -- seemed like the foundations of a bridge made for giants. And so they are still called the Giant's Causeway to this day. On this abnormally long episode, we discuss the mythological origins of the causeway and the legendary Irish hero, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, a....
053 - Borobudur
March 28, 2019 14:34 - 49 minutes - 67.9 MBWhile the Silk Road gets the fame, and the catchy nickname, the Indian Ocean maritime trade moved far more goods over a longer period of time. That trade, combined with its own unique products, made Indonesia and its first great kingdoms possible. The result were Indian-influenced trading empires and regional behemoths capable of creating the world's largest Buddhist monument on the island of Java. Anthony Frisina of the History of Indonesia podcast joins the show to discuss how these em...
052 - The Kailashanatha Temple of Ellora
March 14, 2019 04:00 - 58 minutes - 80 MBEarly medieval India saw the rise of an empire based in the Deccan plateau: the Rashtrakutas. Despite their significant power and influence, their story is little-known and under-appreciated. From their most remarkable king, Amoghavarsha the author, to their architectural masterpiece at the caves of Ellora, we will remedy this shocking omission. The Kailashanatha Temple, carved from the Deccan rock, is a true wonder, and Anirudh Kanisetti, historian and host of the Echoes of India, bring...
051 - The Stelae of Copán
February 28, 2019 05:00 - 41 minutes - 56.5 MBWe return to the land of the Maya, to visit their most stunning artistic achievement. The stelae of Copán, many constructed to honor Waxaklajuun Ubaad Kawiil, 13th king of the city, are remarkably intricate, humanist yet fantastic. His reign marked the highest point and also the lowest, as within decades of his untimely death, Copán and the other Classic Mayan cities would be abandoned. Or were they? Listener Richard Dennis describes his impressions of visiting Copán and traditional Ho...
050 - The Umayyad Mosque of Damascus
February 14, 2019 05:00 - 59 minutes - 82 MBAfter the Muslims exploded onto the scene in the 7th century, they learned that anyone can take a empire, but holding an empire is another matter entirely. We go to Syria, where Damascus served as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate. The Umayyads were the family who eventually took control following the turmoil of finding successors to Muhammad. Ali A Olomi, historian and host of Head on History, rejoins us to take us into the next phase of Muslim history, in which the rich and conn...
049 - The Giant Buddha of Leshan
January 24, 2019 05:00 - 1 hour - 95.4 MBWe return to China, where the Tang Dynasty has embarked on a golden age of culture and cosmopolitanism. In the valleys of Sichuan, a monk begins to carve the largest statue built in pre-industrial history. And in Chang'an, the world's largest and most international city, a young girl begins the path which would take her to the throne. And in Beijing, a half-Sogdian will launch the revolt that will bring everything crashing down. Katy and Nathan from the Queens podcast drop by to talk ab...
Bonus - The Murals of Panjakent
December 20, 2018 05:00 - 49 minutes - 67.8 MBIt's our holiday bonus episode! This time, we're going to Tajikistan, to visit the intriguing murals of the Sogdians, a civilization wedged between Persians, Arabs, Turks, and Chinese, yet rich and remarkable on their own. In Panjakent, we have wall paintings of regular people, preserved for centuries. What they tell us helps explain the links between these great 7th and 8th century civilizations. Nadeem Ahmad, of living history group Eran ud Turan, drops by to discuss Sogdian society, fo...
048 - The Temples of Tikal
December 13, 2018 05:00 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MBThe Maya return as we visit Tikal, nestled in the jungles of northern Guatemala, and pick up the story of Nuun Ujol Chaak, after he left Palenque. Nuun Ujol Chaak was a rebel, facing unfathomable odds against an evil empire. And even if he might fall in the end, his son Jasaw Chan Kawi'il would take up the mantle and restore Tikal to greatness. It's his pyramids that tower above the treeline, representing the greatest architectural achievement of the Classic Maya. Nitin Sil from the Fl...
047 - The Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque
November 22, 2018 05:00 - 37 minutes - 51.7 MBBack to Mesoamerica, only this time, we introduce the Maya. At the edge of the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, sits the city of Lakam Ha, today called Palenque. Among its magnificent ruins is the Temple of the Inscriptions, the tomb of king Pakal. His rule was one of the longest in human history; yet how much of his success came from the strong women around him? We talk about the Mayan calendar, 2012, Pakal's magnificent tomb, and his sarcophagus which was NOT made by aliens. There's more...
Crater Lake and Oregon: 2nd Anniversary Bonus Episode
November 10, 2018 15:43 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBIt's our SECOND ANNIVERSARY. Two years of history, travel, food, and such. What a ride. To celebrate, let's visit Oregon, a weird, magical place I love. I lived there for three years in the early 2010's and in this episode, I give the 30 things I love most about one of America's least understood states, including its real wonder, a volcanic caldera turned perfectly blue body of water: the imaginatively named Crater Lake. There's more to Oregon than meets the eye, and I hope you enjoy t...
046 - The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock
November 04, 2018 17:15 - 1 hour - 111 MBAnother big episode, as Muhammad arrives on the scene. An illiterate merchant in faraway Arabia, Muhammad develops a new faith and community that builds upon the monotheist faiths of his people's neighbors. Ali A Olomi, historian and host of the Head on History podcast, joins me to discuss Muhammad's impact as well as the holiest site in Islam: the Kabaa in Mecca. But most people are forbidden from visiting the Kabaa, so the wonder for this episode is the holiest site in Islam that othe...
Balik Ekmek (Istanbul Fish Sandwiches)
October 17, 2018 20:33The classic Istanbul fish sandwich is simple, easy, and delicious. Fish, bread, a little spices, onion, lettuce, lemon. That’s it. Some recipes will include mayo, which isn’t my bag. Others get more complex with the salad topping. I like to keep it simple, to let the taste of the fish shine through. Some notes: If you don’t have fresh mackerel (or smoked), try something like sea bass or haddock. You’re going for a firm ocean white-fleshed fish. Use an Italian-type bread - not as c...
045 - The Hagia Sophia
October 11, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 91.2 MBIt's the story of a farmboy, an actress, an unruly mob, and a bacterium. The Roman Empire evolved, and based in Constantinople, it reached a new golden age under the leadership of Justinian. His success is best seen in the masterpiece church: the Hagia Sophia, or Ayasofya in Turkish. The Hagia Sophia was the greatest cathedral in Christendom for a thousand years, then a resplendent mosque, and now a fully restored museum. But shortly after its construction highlighted the peak of Eastern R...
044 - Sigiriya
September 27, 2018 04:00 - 46 minutes - 64.6 MBRising from the Sri Lankan jungle stands the citadel of Sigiriya. An immense rock of volcanic origin, Sigiriya was transformed into the magnificent palace of Kassapa, a king whose story will blow your mind. Think Macbeth meets Othello with a dash of a Poe short story. You're going to enjoy this one. By a tremendous bit of serendipity (which is useful, given that the word "serendipity" comes from the Arabic word for Sri Lanka), my daughter's two best friends are of Sri Lankan descent, a...
Ceviche
September 15, 2018 18:26The best lunch I’ve ever eaten was ceviche in Lima. Hands down. Traditional Peruvian ceviche is amazingly simple. Seafood, lime juice, red onion, and chile. That’s it. Plus sweet potato and corn on the side. As I said in the episode, you probably won’t be able to make the real thing, because your seafood, as fresh as it might be, won’t be as fresh as the seafood in Lima. Fed by the Humboldt Current, caught that morning, and served for lunch because dinner would be too late: that’s L...
043- The Nazca Lines
September 13, 2018 04:00 - 51 minutes - 70.5 MBEtched in the rocky plains of the southern Peruvian coast, the Nazca Lines fascinate visitors and archaeologists. While we still don't know why the Nazca people created lines, shapes and figures that could only be seen from the air, we have some hypotheses. We also know: not aliens. Max Serjeant from the Latin American History podcast talks about how civilization came to ancient Peru, how the Nazca and their predecessors tamed the desert, and why archaeologists think the Nazca created thei...
BONUS! History Fangirl Podcast: the Lost History of Angkor
August 31, 2018 14:42 - 32.2 MBBONUS EPISODE! In March 2018, Drew Vahrenkamp appeared on Stephanie Craig's History Fangirl podcast to discuss what was once the largest city on earth, in area at least: Angkor, Cambodia. For the upcoming holiday weekend in the US, we are honored to share this episode with you. Please check out more of Stephanie's interviews with travelers, historians, bloggers and podcasters at https://historyfangirl.com. ************** Angkor, along with its most famous temple Angkor Wat, is one of th...
Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup
August 25, 2018 02:57Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, is justifiably famous for this dish, a delectable, spicy beef broth served over hand-pulled noodles, with layers of beef and daikon radish on top. Restaurants all over Gansu ladle out this dish as a pick-me-up breakfast. You can’t make the real thing, because some of the actual ingredients are only available to restauranteurs in China and because hand-pulling noodles is incredibly challenging — they even have schools for it in Lanzhou. So ...
042 - The Mogao Caves of Dunhuang
August 23, 2018 04:00 - 53 minutes - 74.4 MBA great trade route connected China to the West: the Silk Road. No place in China better illustrates the value of that route than Dunhuang, site of the Mogao Caves, grottos carved into a cliffside which hold the largest collection of Buddhist art anywhere. In Gansu province, Dunhuang was the site of the Jade Gate, where the main road left China into the lands beyond. Nathan Cherry of the Silk Road History Podcast helps tell the story of these caves, their city, and the route, starting wi...
Exciting News
August 14, 2018 04:00 - 4 minutes - 6.16 MBA quick update about the podcast, with news of all sorts. To learn more: click here
Pašticada
July 27, 2018 02:51Pašticada Pašticada is a long-simmered piece of beef, the kind of beef that would normally be tough and chewy, but when you cook it low and slow melts in your mouth. Flavored with vinegar, fruit, veggies, and spices, it’s a traditional holiday or Sunday night meal, Basically, you take a big ol’ slab of top round, or silverside in the UK, stick cloves of garlic and pieces of prosciutto inside it, douse it in vinegar, and leave it overnight to marinate. The next day, you quickly ...
041 - Diocletian's Palace
July 24, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 94.8 MBRome was entrenched in chaos, until one man took charge, and through sheer force of will - and the army - remade the Empire into a completely new government, one that would last for over a thousand years. Then he retired to farm cabbages, moving into an incredible palace on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, a palace which today forms the core of Split, Croatia's old town. Rob and Jamie from the Totalus Rankium podcast drop by once again to discuss Diocletian, one of the most significant em...
Ma'amoul (Date-filled cookies)
July 15, 2018 00:55Ma’amoul (Date Cookies) Ma’amoul are shortbread cookies, filled with a sweetened date puree, baked until just golden, and dusted with powdered sugar. They are traditionally served for Eid, as a welcome sweet reward following the fasting of Ramadan, and for Easter, as a welcome sweet rewards following the fasting of Lent, for Rosh Hashanah for a sweet new year… Basically, no matter what your religion, in the Levant, if you want a sweet treat, these cookies are your go-to. Making ...
040 - The Temple of Bel at Palmyra
July 10, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 93.1 MBIn 2015, ISIS terrorists destroyed the Temples of Bel and Baalshemin in the Syrian desert city of Palmyra, temples which had remained in pristine condition since their city's glory days in the 3rd century. Back then, under the capable leadership of its rulers Odenaethus and the "Warrior Queen" Zenobia, Palmyra rose from wealthy caravan town to leader of the Eastern Mediterranean, taking advantage of the chaos of the Roman Crisis of the Third Century. So. Many. Emperors. So. Much. Chao...
Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Lebanese "Meatloaf")
July 07, 2018 00:26Kibbeh are delicious Lebanese dishes made of ground meat (usually beef or lamb), bulgur wheat, onion and spices. Very simple, very delicious. Sometimes kibbeh comes as a baked casserole, like a meatloaf, and sometimes it’s a deep-fried croquette, shaped in balls. Sometimes, it’s eaten raw, like steak tartare. I genuinely like fried kibbeh best, but it’s pretty similar to falafel in looks, and you might be tired of fried food, so y’know what, we’ll try the baked variety. I think you’ll ...
BONUS! History Fangirl Podcast: the Grand Place
July 02, 2018 02:58 - 20.4 MBBONUS EPISODE! In January 2018, Drew Vahrenkamp appeared on Stephanie Craig's History Fangirl podcast to discuss Brussels' glorious central square, the Grand Place. In honor of Belgium's appearance in the Round of 16 of the World Cup, we are honored to share this episode with you. Please check out more of Stephanie's interviews with travelers, historians, bloggers and podcasters at https://historyfangirl.com. Brussels, Belgium is an often-overlooked city, with neighboring capitals of Am...
039 - The Temples of Heliopolis at Baalbek
June 26, 2018 04:00 - 54 minutes - 74.9 MBIn the remote Bekaa valley in Eastern Lebanon sit the ruins of the great temples of Heliopolis, some of the largest and most impressive ever built in Antiquity, three times larger than the Parthenon, which columns half again as tall as as those in Karnak. The temples are mysterious, and Scott Chesworth from The Ancient World podcast helps explain what they might be, and how they might be connected to Elagabalus, one of the most fascinating and least appreciated Roman emperors. Not good, mi...
Couscous bil Busla (Couscous with Onions)
June 22, 2018 19:25The trick to wonderful couscous is to steam the grain over the sauce so that the flavors of the stew seep into every little piece. Much fluffier and more flavorful than the store-bought boiled method you’re probably familiar with. This version also steams onions and chickpeas with the same method. You soften the couscous with chicken stock first, then make a simple stew of chicken thighs, onion, tomato paste, salt and Libya’s favorite Five Spice blend: Hararat. Hararat is cinnamon, cori...
Keralan Mini-Feast
June 14, 2018 20:34The sadhya is a traditional Keralan feast: a banana leaf covered with small servings of 20 different items, from rice to curries to breads to a banana for dessert. It’s pretty awesome. It’s also not something you’ll make for a weekday meal. So what I’ve done is to take three vegetable curries and combine them for you for a mini-sadhya of sorts. Delicious, redolent of Keralan flavors, and just fun. Each dish has a different texture, so even though the flavor profiles are complementary,...
038 - The Ruins of Leptis Magna
June 12, 2018 04:00 - 58 minutes - 80.3 MBSo close to the tourist trail, yet so far, Libya sits on the Mediterranean yet has been isolated for decades by poverty, dictatorship and civil war. But should peace return, Leptis Magna is the jewel in Libya's crown: potentially the largest and best preserved Roman city in the Mediterranean. With a resplendent forum, theater, basilica, harbor, amphitheater, and especially, a colossal arch, Leptis is an unvisited gem. Leptis' golden age came under the leadership of local-boy-made-good Se...
037 - The Backwaters of Kerala
May 22, 2018 04:00 - 51 minutes - 70.7 MBNestled along the coast of India's most southwesterly state, the Backwaters are a 600 km-long series of lakes, rivers, channels and canals linking the jungle to the sea. Their story, and Kerala's story, is the tale of maritime trade, and to help tell that story, Brandon Huebner from the Maritime History Podcast stops by. Kerala is the birthplace of pepper, and given how rancid meat would get in the age before refrigeration, the Mediterranean world craved it. The Romans traded extensively...
Carciofi alla Romana (Roman-style artichokes)
May 09, 2018 03:06Artichokes are a special part of a Roman spring. Jewish-style artichokes are flattened and fried, and are delicious, but they can be devilishly difficult to cook at home. Roman-style artichokes, on the other hand, are, as I’ve learned, only regularly difficult to cook at home. The cooking isn’t the problem. It’s the cleaning. Artichokes are spiny, woodsy, challenging, and inside there’s the nasty, inedible, fluff-ridden choke. Why on earth do we bother? Because they’re delicious. ...
Chicken Tinga Tacos
May 03, 2018 14:59I know I promised you huaraches. I even described them in the episode. But can I be honest? Yes? I like to keep these recipes to things you can do on a weeknight: delicious and authentic, yet not overly complicated. Well… huaraches were getting too complicated. So instead, I give you a very simple and delicious dish with its roots in Puebla, a city between Mexico City and the Gulf Coast, where the Mexicans defeated a French Army in 1861 on May 5, forever remembered as Cinco de Mayo. ...
Bruschetta al pomodoro
April 25, 2018 02:17You shouldn’t need a recipe for bruschetta. It’s so simple, after all. And yet, you’ve had bad bruschetta. We all have. The bread isn’t crisp enough or maybe too crisp. There’s too much topping or it’s too wet. And so, as a public service, I give you SIX EASY TRICKS to PERFECT BRUSCHETTA. #1. The bread: Use good crusty Italian bread. Day old is preferable. Slice to about half an inch thick. Grill it if you can, toasting is an acceptable alternative. #2. The tomatoes: fresh, rip...
035 - The Pyramids of Teotihuacan
April 17, 2018 04:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBLet's take a break from Roman history and see what's happening in the Western Hemisphere. Ana from the History of Small Things takes us to her hometown of Mexico City to talk about ancient Mexican history. The standout wonders this episode are the great pyramids of Teotihuacan, started in 100 CE in a city which rivaled Rome in size and artistry. But that's just the start. We talk about the first Americans, the earliest Mexican civilizations, and stories of human sacrifice, wars, and mayh...
034 - The Colosseum
March 27, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 44.1 MBWe who are about to podcast salute you! Titus comes back for one more round as he unveils his father's masterpiece: the Flavian Amphitheater, a.k.a. the Colosseum. The stadium on which all future stadia have been based is a magnificent creation, site of gladiatorial combat, public executions, and emperors giving thumbs up and thumbs down. Dr Peta Greenfield of the Partial Historians podcast drops by to talk about Vespasian, Titus, and the gladiators themselves. We discuss visiting Rome, g...
Pizza Margherita
March 24, 2018 15:53Can you make this classic Neapolitan pie at home? No. No you cannot. You don’t have Neapolitan flour, Vesuvian tomatoes, Campanian water, fresh mozzarella from Italian buffaloes… or a dome-shaped wood-fired brick oven. So whatcha gonna do? Well… You can improvise. I like to grill my pizza in the summer - which gives a nice char and crisp but still provides a good chew. But it’s not Neapolitan. To replicate the Neapolitan experience, you’ll need your oven. It won’t BE Neapolita...
033 - Pompeii and Herculaneum
March 13, 2018 04:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MBThe volcano Vesuvius still looms of the ruined Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, along the coast of Southern Italy. Dr. Fiona Radford from the Partial Historians stops by to discuss these accidental wonders: towns whose destruction have preserved a remarkable view of Roman daily life. We follow Pliny the Elder as he ventures to his death, pillow strapped to his head. There's chaos, destruction, drama, and weird fish sauce! Plus I cannot be so close to Naples without talking about p...
Sufganiyot
March 05, 2018 03:11Traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil, and among Israeli Jews, that means sufganiyot: jelly doughnuts. The word sufganiyot comes from the sword sfog, meaning sponge, and North African Jews brought a long tradition of frying doughnuts with them to Israel. There, they mixed with Eastern European jews who brought their own doughnuts, with jelly. These ponchkes in Yiddish are the Jewish version of the Polish pączki (pronounced "paunch-key". Pączki are Mardi Gras treats, best known in ...